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Need ID - No pic

Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Help
Forum Name: General Help
Forum Description: The place to ask about pest, problems, hitchhikers, etc.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=45788
Printed Date: September 26 2024 at 11:48am
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Topic: Need ID - No pic
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Subject: Need ID - No pic
Date Posted: January 02 2011 at 8:32pm
Well I came home the other night and all lights were off in my room. I turned them on and found something in my tank that I have NEVER seen before.

For a little background then description. Since I have setup this tank I can't get snails to live for very long. One day I add ten and within the next week I am down to 5. I thought rock crab originally but the shells are spread out throughout the tank. I know it isn't a rock crab or anything like that.

Now for my description of what took place!

I look in my tank and see this "gel" looking object hanging down from a rock. It has got a snail shell completely enclosed inside its' body. Not a body really but I have no idea how to describe this object.

It could morph shapes like it has no bones or skeletal setup of any kind. As soon as I put the light on it, it dropped the shell and "oozed" back into its' hole. It left part of it exposed so I got a good look at it and even poked it with a stick. As soon as I poked it, it totally disappeared.

It was gray bodied with white speckles on it. It looked like hair gel to be honest. It had no distinct shape and used the rock to protect it.

I know it isn't good so I need to figure it out what it is and how to kill it.

Thanks for any ideas and suggestions!



Replies:
Posted By: SGH360
Date Posted: January 02 2011 at 11:42pm
Sounds like a polyclad flatworm, they are predatory and will eat snails, by the sound of it you got there in time. A picture surely come in handy. 


Posted By: davser
Date Posted: January 02 2011 at 11:54pm
that sounds cool its amazing how many weird things you can find in live rock

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It's not about what you know but about who you know


Posted By: Jeffs_little_ocean
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 12:18am
did it look like this?


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Life is good....right?


Posted By: Luckedout
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 12:24am
yeah sounds like a flatworm

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-Ben



90g Mixed reef



www.body-balancechiropractic.com



Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 8:56am
Yes Jeff that is what it looked like!

How do I get rid of it????


Posted By: SGH360
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 9:26am
I guess you will have to use a snail as bait to get it to come out and grab once its full out in the open. the only thing that make this different it does not asexually reproduce.


Posted By: Jeffs_little_ocean
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 9:51am

Yep just like SG said. Be patient and one of these nights, you will see it out where you can just scoop it up in a net. I actually had that one in the pic for months, It would come out at night and clean the sand like a giant vacuume. Kinda cool actually. It never touched the snails though, so if yours is eating your snails, I can see why you want it out. Good luck.



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Life is good....right?


Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 12:10pm
I'm thinking of pulling rock out that I saw it in and giving it a nice freshwater dip! I want to see the thing squirm and die!

I have decided I will never set a tank up with live rock again. There are way too many bad things that we can't control.


Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 3:18pm
Sounds to me like a Changling is living in your tank. Smile

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